One piece: The Greatest Swordsman of the Rocks Era!

Even the pirates couldn't help but find the whole situation ridiculous and bewildering.

That guy Ares…

Was he really a pirate?

"This can't go on. Staying here is getting way too dangerous." Wang Zhi, both anxious and furious, spun around and shouted hysterically at the dazed pirates on the deck.

"What are you standing around for? Move the ship! Get us over there!"

If he let Ares keep playing like this, Wang Zhi seriously doubted whether his own heart could handle the stress.

He used to think that Ares, always obsessed with training, was kind of adorable.

Now, he didn't find him the least bit adorable.

On the Navy warship.

Ares, still lying in the ship's hold, had smashed up quite a bit. Rubbing his head, he muttered,

"Still need more training. I can't control this burst of power properly yet."

His explosive power had definitely improved he could already feel the progress, even if he hadn't reached his limit yet.

But he still couldn't fully master this explosive strength. He couldn't convert it perfectly into overwhelming combat power.

Climbing out of the hold, Ares quickly noticed Garp locked in fierce battle with a green-bearded man wearing a helmet.

"That guy must be Brynndi World'World Destroyer' the one Wang Zhi mentioned, right?"

"So this is what it's like to fight the infamous great pirates of the seas... They're all so strong."

This time, he didn't jump into the fight.

Instead, he focused all his attention on carefully observing the battle between these two powerhouses. This was a priceless opportunity to broaden his horizons.

Everything he saw burned itself into his memory.

Since his unique soul fusion, even Ares' memory retention was strengthening.

At that moment.

Wang Zhi leapt from the pirate ship's rail and landed right next to Ares. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around Ares' waist, hoisted him over his shoulder, and bolted back to the pirate ship's deck.

"Ares! Stop watching! Let's go!"

He immediately shouted to the others.

"Turn the ship around! Retreat!"

Then he put Ares down.

Wang Zhi's face was thunderous as he unleashed a furious scolding.

"Ares, do you have any idea you almost got everyone on this ship killed?!"

"Charging in recklessly like that will get you all killed!"

"If the Navy hadn't shown up, if Brynndi World hadn't stalled Garp, we'd all be dead at the bottom of the sea right now!"

Without the Navy's interference, Brynndi alone could have wiped out everyone on their ship.

Without Brynndi holding off Garp, Garp could have crushed the entire crew on his own.

They'd been lucky twice now. If not for these flukes, they'd be long gone.

"You said before, Captain, that battle forges us. I wanted to fight!" Ares answered firmly.

"If we don't endure hardship, how can we temper ourselves into blades sharper than the Supreme Grade swords?"

This battle had taught him a lot. His strength had improved significantly, and when he fully digested everything he'd gained from this fight, he would grow even faster.

Trading punches with Garp again and again made him feel like his body had grown just a little bit stronger.

Hearing this, Wang Zhi was speechless for a long moment. Finally, he said,

"Next time, you might not be so lucky. If someone dies while chasing their dream "

"Then that dream isn't worth a single berry."

"But if someone achieves their dream, no matter how dirty or shameless their methods were, they are great."

"They are successful."

"People only care about the victors. No one remembers how many corpses were left along the way."

He knew Ares was still young and mentally, he wasn't quite right but some things simply had to be said.

They had to be taught.

If someone else had been captain, Ares would've been abandoned long ago.

Ares nodded thoughtfully, but said nothing more. He'd always been quiet, and now he seemed even more withdrawn.

"I'll go back to my room first," he said softly.

He turned and left the deck.

Watching Ares, covered in bruises and welts, Wang Zhi waved to summon the ship's doctor.

"Go treat his injuries."

Then he led the crew in cleaning up the wreckage on deck.

His battle with Brynndi World had not only destroyed the ship's mast but also left parts of the deck, railings, and cabins in ruin. They would need to find an island soon for repairs.

Back in his room, Ares sat alone on his hammock.

"I really might have been wrong…"

"Chasing dreams isn't wrong. But I didn't think about everyone else…"

After a while, Ares realized he'd better be more careful next time.

Not long after, the door creaked open and the ship's doctor came in with a box of medicine.

Seeing Ares, a towering hulk covered in bruises and swollen welts, still made the doctor's heart skip a beat.

As he walked over and started pulling out his tools, he muttered,

"You really are one tough bastard, huh? I can't believe you managed to survive so long against Vice Admiral Garp."

"Garp's one of the strongest Marines out there. He's killed more pirates than I can count."

While speaking, the doctor carefully began tending to Ares' wounds.

His words conjured Garp's image in Ares' mind again. Ares couldn't help but ask,

"Vice Admiral Garp… Who is he?"

The doctor paused mid-motion, surprised.

"You don't even know who Vice Admiral Garp is?!"

Seeing Ares nod seriously, the doctor resumed applying medicine as he explained,

"He's a famous figure in the Marines. He's been serving for years, and he's only thirty-six."

"He's up there with Admiral Sengoku the Strategist, Vice Admiral Zephyr, and Vice Admiral Tsuru right now, they're the strongest the Navy has to offer."

(At this point in the timeline Year 1480 of the Sea Calendar Sengoku is probably already an admiral. Two years later, in 1482, Zephyr will become an admiral at age thirty-eight.)

The doctor continued,

"Their combat strength is comparable to the captains of top pirate crews. Some captains might not even be able to beat them."

Ares listened attentively, carefully absorbing the doctor's explanation about the Navy.

After the doctor finished dressing his wounds, Ares was practically mummified in white bandages.

"How long will it take for these injuries to heal? I want to get back to training as soon as possible," Ares asked seriously.

That was the only thing he cared about. Garp's fists had done serious damage he still ached all over.

During the fight, he hadn't noticed it as much, but now that the adrenaline had worn off, the pain hit him hard.

The doctor thought for a moment before replying,

"Depends on your recovery speed. Best case, ten days. Worst case, it could take a month or two."

"After all, these wounds were left by Vice Admiral Garp."

Upon closer inspection, the doctor realized that while the injuries didn't seem too bad on the surface, the internal damage was significant.

It would take proper treatment and careful rest to heal fully.

Hearing that, Ares' expression instantly deflated like a wilted cucumber. His mood sank.

The doctor sternly warned him,

"Ares, don't even think about training before you're healed. If you push yourself, you'll just make things worse. It'll delay your recovery or even leave lasting injuries."

The doctor also made a mental note to report Ares' condition to Wang Zhi, just in case Ares got reckless again.

After repeating his instructions one more time, the doctor finally left the room.

Ares had no choice but to lie on his hammock, close his eyes, and enter his own mind.

He began his "special" training there.

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